Stamps lose starters in finale defeat

Vicki Hall, Calgary Herald11.02.2013

Stampeders defensive tackle Micah Johnson, centre, is helped to the locker-room by running back Jon Cornish, left, and Dr. Ian Auld after suffering an injury during the first half of the Lions 26-7 victory over visiting Calgary.

VANCOUVER -- The ultimate objective for any playoff-bound team forced to contest a meaningless game centres around escaping the exercise without serious injury.

The Calgary Stampeders failed to achieve that goal Friday night in a 26-7 loss to the B.C. Lions.

“It’s hard,” murmured linebacker Juwan Simpson as the Stampeders packed up for the charter flight home to Calgary. “Any time you see a teammate go down, it’s a shock to you.

“We’re going to have to depend on one another — and lean on one another — to bounce back.”

In keeping with the theme that has dogged them the entire season, the Stampeders must juggle the starting lineup for the West final on Sunday Nov. 17 against either the Lions or Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Cue the rally cry of “plug and play” or “next man up” given the casualty list coming out of Vancouver.

The ranks of the gravely wounded include starting defensive tackles Micah Johnson and Demonte’ Bolden and leading receiver Marquay McDaniel.

All three went down in a nightmarish opening 30 minutes that left Stampeders fans praying for John Hufnagel to invoke curling rules and shake hands to concede the victory.

If only if it were that easy.

“Right now, they’re serious injuries,” Hufnagel said post-game. “But I can’t say more than that right now. I’ll say it’s unlikely that they’ll be ready for the next game.”

The mood on the Calgary bench proved somber as the night unfolded.

“You kind of had to put it out of your mind,” Simpson said. “But Demonte’, Micah and Marquay? Man, those are guys who fought hard from day one.

“They all helped this team win. They’re all a big part of this team. It’s unfortunate these injuries happened so late in the season. Very unfortunate. But we’ve been a resilient team. We’ve faced a lot of adversity.”

Adversity is one way to describe the carnage witnessed by a crowd of 27,228 in the climate-controlled comforts of B.C. Place Stadium.

Bolden was the first starter to fall for Calgary, limping off the field unable to put any weight on his left leg in the first quarter. Then tailback Jon Cornish retreated to the sidelines, where the training staff examined his right shoulder (the issue is not believed to be serious.)

Cornish took off his helmet and packed it in for the night with four carries for 14 yards, meaning Willie Burden’s franchise record of 1896 single-season rushing yards is safe.

Personal milestones, while nice to one day tell the grandchildren, mean nothing compared to the ultimate objective of hoisting the Grey Cup. And Calgary’s chances of qualifying for the championship would diminish markedly with no Cornish in the lineup.

The same can be said for Bolden and Johnson, the second defensive tackle to fall for Calgary.

Like Bolden, Johnson could not put any weight on his leg and needed help from the idle Cornish to hobble to the dressing room.

But the most disturbing injury — at least to the untrained eye — came in the dying minutes of the second quarter when Marquay McDaniel, Calgary’s leading receiver, reached out to haul in a low pass over the middle.

McDaniel absorbed the initial contact from defensive back Cord Parks, but crumpled to the turf upon impact from linebacker Lin-J Shell.

His right ankle appeared to take the brunt of the collision.

“I’m hoping it’s not bad because I know the journey,” Stamps SB Nik Lewis wrote on Twitter. “And I hope he doesn’t have to take it.

“That sucks to see those damn crutches.”

Lewis broke his leg in Vancouver back on Aug. 18 on an eerily similar play. Against all odds, he’s pushing to play the West Division Final less than three months after surgery.

With McDaniel out, the notion seems less farfetched than it did some 24 hours ago.

“It’s tough when it’s the last game of the season and stuff like that happens,” said quarterback Kevin Glenn, who went five-of-eight for 45 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions before making way for Drew Tate and Bo Levi Mitchell. “Especially to where guys are out on street clothes. They’re not on the sidelines trying to get back on the field. They’ve taken their pads and everything off, so you know it’s something big.

“It’s tough to see that kind of stuff. We’re going to pray for them, and the other guys have to step up now.”

Short yardage: Tate completed seven-of-14 passes for 65 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. Mitchell mopped up in the fourth quarter … Andrew Harris and Travis Lulay scored touchdowns for the Lions. Paul McCallum kicked three field goals … Calgary’s Rene Paredes went two-for-two to set a new CFL record with a regular-season conversion rate of 94.73. The previous record of 94.3 per cent was set by McCallum in 2011.

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